BWP handling in idle mode and inactive mode

ABSTRACT

It is provided a method, comprising monitoring if an information on a limitation of a network bandwidth part is received from a cell; basing a decision on the information on the limitation and a capability of a terminal to support a terminal bandwidth part if the information on the limitation is received, wherein the decision is about at least one of whether or not the terminal camps on the cell and whether or not the terminal reselects the cell; instructing the terminal on the at least one of the camping on the cell and the reselecting the cell based on the decision.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage entry of International ApplicationNo. PCT/FI2017/050782, filed Nov. 14, 2017, entitled “BWP HANDLING INIDLE MODE AND INACTIVE MODE” which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a computerprogram product related to handling of bandwidth parts, in particular tohandling of bandwidth parts in NR.

Abbreviations

3GPP 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project

5G 5^(th) Generation

5GC 5G Core Network

BWP Bandwidth Part

CN Core Network

CP Control Plane

DL Downlink

EDT Early Data Transmission

EPC Evolved Packet Core

FDM Frequency Division Multiplex

gNB 5G Node-B

IOT Internet Of Things

LTE Long Term Evolution

LTE-A LTE Advanced

MF MulteFire

MSG Message

NAS Non-Access Stratum

NR New Radio

NW Network

PCell Primary Cell

PRB Physical Resource Block

PSCell Primary SCell

RACH Random Access Channel

Rel Release

RRC Radio Resource Control

RRM Radio Resource Management

SCell Secondary Cell

SS Synchronization Signal

SSB SS Block

SUL Secondary Uplink

TDM Time Division Multiplex

UE User Equipment

UL Uplink

UP User Plane

WB Wideband

WiFi Wireless Fidelity

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bandwidth part is defined as the number of PRBs (which indicate acertain bandwidth at certain frequency) where the UE can be scheduled inUL/DL. For DL, the used BWP also affects the bandwidth where the UE isexpected to perform measurements. Each bandwidth part may also have adifferent numerology (i.e. subcarrier spacing). Some basic use cases forBWP are described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . Network (NW) bandwidth (BW)designates the total bandwidth provided by the network (e.g. by a cell,wherein the cell is considered to be a representative of the network).

As shown in FIG. 1 , the network may schedule different BWPs (BWP1,BWP2) for a UE at different time slots, e.g. to adapt the load on thewideband (WB) carrier which comprises the NW BW. The different BWPs mayshare the same bandwidth (number of PRBs) but at different centerfrequencies (left part of FIG. 1 ), or they may have differentbandwidths (right part of FIG. 1 ).

As shown in FIG. 2 , the BWPs may have different numerologies indifferent time slots. In TDM operation, the BWPs of differentnumerologies occupy the same bandwidth (left part of FIG. 2 ), while inFDM operation, the BWPs of different numerologies may not overlap (rightpart of FIG. 2 ). Different cells of the network may provide differentBWPs (also named NW BWPs).

Hence, a Bandwidth part (BWP) consists of part of the whole gNBbandwidth (also named NW BW). Each UE may be assigned a potentiallydifferent part of the UL/DL cell bandwidth in connected mode, and thisis called the BWP. In NR Rel-15, it has been agreed that for eachserving cell there is one single active BWP (UL and/or DL, forPCell/PSCell both UL & DL), but there can be more than one BWPconfigured at the UE so that the currently active BWP can be switchedwith one of the other configured BWPs (i.e. a configured (butnon-active) BWP becomes active BWP and the formerly active BWP becomes aconfigured (but non-active) BWP).

The following has been agreed in RAN2:

Agreements for BWP operation in CONNECTED mode:

-   1 BWP impacts on the CONNECTED mode will be progressed by    December 17. Impacts to IDLE mode/INACTIVE mode UEs will be    discussed with SA after December 17.-   2a RRC signalling supports to configure 1 or more BWPs (both for DL    BWP and UL BWP) for a serving cell (PCell, PSCell).-   2b RRC signalling supports to configure 0, 1 or more BWPs (both for    DL BWP and UL BWP) for a serving cell SCell (at least 1 DL BWP)    (impact of SUL still to be discussed)-   3 For a UE, the PCell, PSCell and each SCell has a single associated    SSB in frequency (RAN1 terminology is the is the ‘cell defining    SSB’)-   4 Cell defining SS block can be changed by synchronous    reconfiguration for PCell/PSCell and SCell release/add for the    SCell.-   5 Each SS block frequency which needs to be measured by the UE    should be configured as individual measurement object (i.e. one    measurement object corresponds to a single SS block frequency).-   6 The cell defining SS block is considered as the time reference of    the serving cell, and for RRM serving cell measurements based on SSB    (irrespective of which BWP is activated).

The following contributions include some discussion for IDLE modehandling:

R2-1711387: “Impacts of BWP for UE in IDLE and INACTIVE”, LG ElectronicsInc., discussion, Rel-15, NR_newRAT-Core;

-   -   R2-1710216: “Definition of cells for idle and connected UEs”,        Huawei, HiSilicon, discussion, Rel-15, NR_newRAT-Core.

5G introduces a new mode besides IDLE and CONNECTED known from LTE andLTE-A: “RRC-INACTIVE CONNECTED”, also named “INACTIVE”. When a UE movesto the INACTIVE mode, both UE and RAN keep the context information ofthe UE's RRC connection such as UE capabilities and security context,which have been obtained during RRC connection setup. In contrast, inIDLE mode, the context information is not maintained and UE always hasto establish a new context information with network when moving fromIDLE to CONNECTED. Thus, a transition from INACTIVE to CONNECTED fordata transmission is lightweight (i.e. faster and requires lesssignalling) compared to a transition from IDLE to CONNECTED.

In the RRC-INACTIVE Connected mode, the UE is CN-CONNECTED, i.e., the CNconsiders that the UE is in the connected mode. Hence, when DL trafficfor the UE arrives, CN simply forwards the traffic to RAN. Then, RANtriggers paging (called “RAN paging”) for the UE to determine thelocation of the UE at cell level and once the UE responds to the paging,forwards the data to the UE.

In both IDLE mode and INACTIVE mode, the UE camps on a cell to listenfor a paging signal and do other relevant procedures like cellreselection and system information reception. If the UE moves, it mayreselect another cell to camp thereon, depending in particular on thesignal strength of the involved cells (i.e. UE obeys the specified cellreselection rules according to the reselection information broadcastfrom the current serving cell). In both IDLE mode and INACTIVE mode,cell reselection is controlled by the UE and affected only indirectly bythe reselection information from the cell broadcast.

More details are available at J. Kim et al., “3GPP SA2 architecture andfunctions for 5G mobile communication system”, ICT Express 3 (2017),1-8.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided anapparatus, comprising at least one processor, at least one memoryincluding computer program code, and the at least one processor, withthe at least one memory and the computer program code, being arranged tocause the apparatus to at least perform monitoring if an information ona limitation of a network bandwidth part is received from a cell; basinga decision on the information on the limitation and a capability of aterminal to support a terminal bandwidth part if the information on thelimitation is received, wherein the decision is about at least one ofwhether or not the terminal camps on the cell and whether or not theterminal reselects the cell; instructing the terminal on the at leastone of the camping on the cell and the reselecting the cell based on thedecision.

The monitoring may comprise at least one of monitoring if theinformation on the limitation is received on a broadcast channel; andmonitoring if the information on the limitation is received in adedicated signaling to the terminal.

The decision may be about whether or not the terminal camps on the cell,and the at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, may be arranged to cause the apparatus to furtherperform inhibiting the terminal to camp on the cell if the limitationdoes not match the capability of the terminal.

The at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, may be arranged to cause the apparatus to furtherperform supervising if a priority for the terminal bandwidth part isreceived; wherein the decision may be additionally based on the priorityif the priority for the terminal bandwidth part is received.

The at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, may be arranged to cause the apparatus to furtherperform, if the decision is to camp on the cell or to reselect the cell:selecting one of plural access parameters based on the information onthe limitation and the capability of the terminal; instructing theterminal to reselect the cell and to camp on the cell, respectively,using the selected one of the access parameters.

The at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, may be arranged to cause the apparatus to furtherperform, if the decision is to camp on the cell or to reselect the cell:choosing one or more of plural types of access based on the informationon the limitation and the capability of the terminal; instructing theterminal to access the cell according to the selected one or more typesof access; inhibiting the terminal to access the cell according to atype of access different from the selected one or more types of access.

The at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, may be arranged to cause the apparatus to furtherperform checking if the terminal belongs to a type of terminal;inhibiting to base the decision on the information on the limitation ifthe terminal does not belong to the type of terminal.

The limitation may be related to at least one of

-   -   a network bandwidth part usable for early data transmission;    -   a bandwidth part usable by the terminal for data transmission in        an INACTIVE mode;    -   a bandwidth part usable by the terminal for data transmission in        a CONNECTED mode;    -   a bandwidth part usable for active data transfer;    -   a bandwidth part usable for sending data encapsulated in control        plane messages;    -   a bandwidth part usable for the Ultra-Reliable Low Latency        Communication transmission)    -   a bandwidth part reserved only for terminals of a certain CSG;    -   a bandwidth part usable for carrier aggregation purposes;    -   a bandwidth part usable for dual connectivity purposes; and    -   a set of supported bandwidth parts in the cell.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided anapparatus, comprising at least one processor, at least one memoryincluding computer program code, and the at least one processor, withthe at least one memory and the computer program code, being arranged tocause the apparatus to at least perform instructing a base station toprovide an information on a limitation of a network bandwidth partprovided by the base station.

The providing may comprise at least one of broadcasting the informationon the limitation and providing the information on the limitation in adedicated signaling to a terminal.

The at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, may be arranged to cause the apparatus to furtherperform instructing the base station to indicate a respective priorityfor each of one or more terminal bandwidth parts.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod, comprising monitoring if an information on a limitation of anetwork bandwidth part is received from a cell; basing a decision on theinformation on the limitation and a capability of a terminal to supporta terminal bandwidth part if the information on the limitation isreceived, wherein the decision is about at least one of whether or notthe terminal camps on the cell and whether or not the terminal reselectsthe cell; instructing the terminal on the at least one of the camping onthe cell and the reselecting the cell based on the decision.

The monitoring may comprise at least one of monitoring if theinformation on the limitation is received on a broadcast channel; andmonitoring if the information on the limitation is received in adedicated signaling to the terminal.

The decision may be about whether or not the terminal camps on the cell,and the method may further comprise inhibiting the terminal to camp onthe cell if the limitation does not match the capability of theterminal.

The method may further comprise supervising if a priority for theterminal bandwidth part is received; wherein the decision may beadditionally based on the priority if the priority for the terminalbandwidth part is received.

The method may further comprise, if the decision is to camp on the cellor to reselect the cell: selecting one of plural access parameters basedon the information on the limitation and the capability of the terminal;instructing the terminal to reselect the cell and to camp on the cell,respectively, using the selected one of the access parameters.

The method may further comprise, if the decision is to camp on the cellor to reselect the cell: choosing one or more of plural types of accessbased on the information on the limitation and the capability of theterminal; instructing the terminal to access the cell according to theselected one or more types of access; inhibiting the terminal to accessthe cell according to a type of access different from the selected oneor more types of access.

The method may further comprise checking if the terminal belongs to atype of terminal; inhibiting to base the decision on the information onthe limitation if the terminal does not belong to the type of terminal.

The limitation may be related to at least one of

-   -   a network bandwidth part usable for early data transmission;    -   a bandwidth part usable by the terminal for data transmission in        an INACTIVE mode;    -   a bandwidth part usable by the terminal for data transmission in        a CONNECTED mode;    -   a bandwidth part usable for active data transfer;    -   a bandwidth part usable for sending data encapsulated in control        plane messages;    -   a bandwidth part usable for the Ultra-Reliable Low Latency        Communication transmission)    -   a bandwidth part reserved only for terminals of a certain CSG;    -   a bandwidth part usable for carrier aggregation purposes;    -   a bandwidth part usable for dual connectivity purposes; and    -   a set of supported bandwidth parts in the cell.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod, comprising instructing a base station to provide an informationon a limitation of a network bandwidth part provided by the basestation.

The providing may comprise at least one of broadcasting the informationon the limitation and providing the information on the limitation in adedicated signaling to a terminal.

The method may further comprise instructing the base station to indicatea respective priority for each of one or more terminal bandwidth parts.

Each of the methods of the third and fourth aspects may be a method ofbandwidth part handling.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided acomputer program product comprising a set of instructions which, whenexecuted on an apparatus, is configured to cause the apparatus to carryout the method according to any of the third and fourth aspects. Thecomputer program product may be embodied as a computer-readable mediumor directly loadable into a computer.

According to some embodiments of the invention, at least one of thefollowing advantages may be achieved:

-   -   BWP works in both IDLE mode and INACTIVE mode;    -   UL/DL messages are not lost due to BWP mismatch between NW and        UE;    -   BWP may be used to control UE behavior to some extent even in        IDLE mode or INACTIVE mode.    -   The UE would not start unnecessary connection establishment in        case that the NW is not supporting the BWP the UE is supporting.        -   Avoids unnecessary signaling        -   Saves UE battery

It is to be understood that any of the above modifications can beapplied singly or in combination to the respective aspects to which theyrefer, unless they are explicitly stated as excluding alternatives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further details, features, objects, and advantages are apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention which is to be taken in conjunction with the appendeddrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows two basic use cases for BWP;

FIG. 2 shows another two basic use cases for BWP;

FIG. 3 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a method according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a method according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

Herein below, certain embodiments of the present invention are describedin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein thefeatures of the embodiments can be freely combined with each otherunless otherwise described. However, it is to be expressly understoodthat the description of certain embodiments is given by way of exampleonly, and that it is by no way intended to be understood as limiting theinvention to the disclosed details.

Moreover, it is to be understood that the apparatus is configured toperform the corresponding method, although in some cases only theapparatus or only the method are described.

This invention focuses primarily on the BWP handling in IDLE andINACTIVE mode.

While it is expected that there will be some minimum BW that both UEsand NWs support, in practice NW may support different minimum bandwidthcompared to what the UE supports. For example, the UE may support only 5MHz and the NW may support only 20 MHz, e.g. due to scheduler notimplementing lower BW option. Additionally, different BWP sizes can beused for different purposes: e.g. very low BW-capable UEs may be servedin one part of gNB BW (NW BW) and “regular” UEs in a different part (oreven in the whole NW BW) of the gNB BW. Hence, it is not clear how UEscan be directed to different BWP in IDLE or INACTIVE, or even preventedfrom camping in a cell with minimum BW different from the one supportedby the UE.

UE may use different bandwidths for data transmissions, and there may bedifferent mechanisms for transmitting data towards the network.Typically, UE uses user plane for transmitting data, i.e. communicationestablished between UE and network that utilizes configured resourcesthat are scheduled implicitly or explicitly between UE and network.However, in certain cases control plane, which is typically used forsetting up the data transmission between UE and network, may also beused for transmitting data. In particular, the data transmission mayutilize e.g. the signalling protocol normally used for exchanging NASinformation between UE and network, or the signalling message used forestablishing the RRC connection between UE and network. These optionsare sometimes called “Control Plane” or “Early Data Transmission”optimizations for data transfer, and are typically envisioned to be usedfor cases when only a small amount of data needs to be transferredbetween UE and network.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the network broadcastsits BWP limitations to all the UEs to aid in the IDLE or INACTIVE modeoperation. This information may affect UE IDLE or INACTIVE mode cellselection/reselection criteria, so UEs not supporting the BW of the celldo not camp in a cell where they cannot obtain service because of amismatch of the BWP. Further, the UE cell access may depend on theamount of BW supported by the NW and the UE.

Some aspects of the invention comprise the following:

-   -   NW broadcasts (advertises) information on its BWP limitations        (e.g. minimum and/or maximum NW BWP size) for DL and/or UL        operation    -   UE receives the information on BWP limitations. UE may take this        information into account for e.g.:        -   Cell camping criteria: A cell is not suitable if UE            supported BWP (UE BWP limitation) does not meet advertised            NW BWP limitations (e.g. minimum/maximum BW). I.e.,            preferably, the capability of the UE with respect to BWP            limitation is the same as the limitation on NW BWP. In some            embodiments, a cell may be selected if, in DL, the NW BWP is            smaller than the UE BWP and, in UL, the NW BWP is larger            than the UE BWP. Thus, it is ensured that a transmission is            not lost because of BWPs of different sizes.        -   Cell reselection criteria: the UE may prioritize            cells/carriers supporting certain types of BWPs. Such            prioritization may be predefined or the priorities may be            provided by the network.            -   As an example of predefined priorities, the UE may                prefer cells supporting exactly the bandwidth part size                the UE supports, too. I.e., cells with a bandwidth part                size exceeding that of the UE (in uplink) or less than                that of the UE (in downlink) are not preferred although                feasible. In such embodiments, UE implicitly builds the                priorities based on the advertised NW BWP limitations.                In these embodiments, NW need not to transmit explicitly                the priorities.            -   NW may indicate different priorities for UE with                different capabilities for BWP to affect the UE's cell                reselection priorities; the priority for a certain BWP                supported by the UE (also named terminal bandwidth part)                may be different or the same for different cells of the                network.            -   The priorities may additionally depend on the category                of the UE: e.g. different CN (EPC/MF) registered UEs may                use different reselection parameters to allow different                UEs reselect different cells (for e.g. steering certain                UEs more towards certain frequency bands that can treat                such UEs more efficiently)            -   The NW may indicate the priorities in system information                or via dedicated signaling given to UE at the end of RRC                connection release to be used by the UE in IDLE or                INACTIVE state. The NW may indicate the priorities along                with the information on BWP limitations or in a separate                broadcast message or dedicated signaling to the UE.        -   The Cell access parameters may also be grouped according to            the allowed access bandwidth            -   For example, UEs supporting limited BW may utilize                different access resources than those supporting wider                BW            -   UEs supporting different network slices may also be                indicated to require certain BW in the cell, so that                UE's attempting a connection according to a certain                network slice would do access according to different set                of access parameters.            -   NW informs the UE on the grouping via broadcast or                dedicated signalling.        -   Depending on the advertised NW BWP limitation, the UE may be            allowed to camp on the cell but only certain type of access            is allowed            -   Early data transmission (EDT), e.g. data transmission                within the RACH MSG3 and MSG4 can be allowed            -   Data encapsulated in the CP messages can be allowed            -   Signaling can be allowed e.g. by NAS signaling or RRC                signaling.            -   Predefined types of access could e.g. low/high priority                data etc.

In some embodiments of the invention, only certain type of UEs may takethe information on NW BWP limitation into account. For example, only“normal” UEs may take the NW BWP limitation into account but IOT devices(which may e.g. support smaller BW than “normal” UEs) do not. As anotherexample, only UEs supporting certain network slices may utilize theslice-specific resources, including any slice-specific BWPs.

In addition or alternatively to minimum/maximum BWP, the NW may signale.g. one of the following:

-   -   EDT BWP (i.e. BWP used for EDT purposes)    -   RRC INACTIVE BWP (i.e. BWP used by UEs in INACTIVE)    -   RRC CONNECTED BWP (i.e. BWP used by UEs in CONNECTED)    -   Data transfer BWP (i.e. BWP used for active data transfer)    -   Data over Control Plane BWP (i.e. BWP used for sending data        encapsulated in control plane messages)    -   Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) BWP (i.e. BWP        used for the purpose of URLLC transmission)    -   Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) BWP (i.e. BWP reserved only for        UEs utilizing a certain CSG)    -   Carrier aggregation BWP (i.e. BWP used for CA purposes)    -   Dual connectivity BWP (i.e. BWP used for DC purposes)    -   Set of supported BWPs in cell (e.g. all the BWPs used in the        cell).

The UE may take into account this information on BWP when deciding oncamping and/or cell reselection for the respective specific cases, too.

In some embodiments of the invention, the information on NW BWPlimitation may be advertised using dedicated signalling for IDLE orINACTIVE mode usage while the UE is in the CONNECTED mode for use inIDLE/INACTIVE mode (e.g. during the transition from CONNECTED mode toIDLE/INACTIVE mode).

Table 1 provides a signalling example for BWP handling in IDLE/INACTIVEmode. Note that in step 7, the UE is in IDLE mode and hence, the NW BWPlimitation for data transfer is relevant because it does not make senseto camp on the cell where service cannot be provided to the UE.

On the other hand, in step 14, the UE is in INACTIVE mode (see step 12),and hence, the NW BWP limitation for INACTIVE mode is relevant. In theINACTIVE mode, INACTIVE BWP may be used for the data transmission inINACTIVE state, i.e. data transfer in the random access messages 3 and4. Message 3 may be used for data transmission in uplink and message 4may be used for data transmission in downlink. Data transfer BWP is usedin connected mode.

On the other hand, since the BWP limitations of the UE and cell 5 fordata transmission in downlink in the CONNECTED mode do not match, the UEcannot be moved into the CONNECTED mode in cell 5.

TABLE 1 Signalling example according to an embodiment of the inventionMessage Sequence Step Procedure UE - NW Message 0 The UE supports thefollowing BWP: — 10 MHZ BWP for both UL and DL in CONNECTED mode. 5 MHZBWP in INACTIVE mode for both UL and DL The UE is in IDLE mode 1 gNB(cell 1) broadcast in the system <-- System information the followinginformation: information Minimum DL BWP for data transfer in CONNECTEDmode 20 MHz Minimum UL BWP for data transfer in CONNECTED mode 20 MHz 2The UE reads the system information from cell 1 and does not camp there,because the BWP supported by the UE is not advertised by the gNB 3 gNB(cell 2) broadcast in the system <-- System information the followinginformation: information Minimum DL BWP for data transfer in CONNECTEDmode 10 MHz Minimum UL BWP for data transfer in CONNECTED mode 10 MHzMinimum DL BWP for data transfer in INACTIVE mode 5 MHZ Minimum UL BWPfor data transfer in INACTIVE mode 5 MHZ 4 The UE reads the systeminformation from cell 2 and starts to camp there, because the BWPs forCONNECTED supported by the UE are advertised by the gNB 5 The UE movesgeographically 6 gNB (cell 3) broadcast in the system <-- Systeminformation the following information: information Minimum DL BWP fordata transfer in CONNECTED mode 20 MHz Minimum UL BWP for data transferin CONNECTED mode 20 MHz Minimum DL BWP for data transfer in INACTIVEmode 5 MHZ Minimum UL BWP for data transfer in INACTIVE mode 5 MHZ 7 TheUE reads the system information from cell 3 and does not camp there,because the UE is in IDLE (not INACTIVE) and BWP for data transfersupported by the UE is not advertised by the gNB. 8 The UE movesgeographically 9 gNB (cell 4) broadcast in the system <-- Systeminformation the following information: information Minimum DL BWP fordata transfer in CONNECTED mode 10 MHz Minimum UL BWP for data transferin CONNECTED mode 10 MHz Minimum DL BWP for data transfer in INACTIVEmode 5 MHZ Minimum UL BWP for data transfer in INACTIVE mode 5 MHZ 10The UE reads the system information from cell 4 and starts to campthere, because the BWPs for CONNECTED supported by the UE are advertisedby the gNB 11 Data transfers starts and the UE goes to <--> ConnectionCONNECTED establishment 12 The RRC Connection is released and the UE <--RRC Connection is moved to INACTIVE Release 13 The UE movesgeographically 14 gNB (cell 5) broadcast in the system <-- Systeminformation the following information: information Minimum DL BWP fordata transfer in CONNECTED mode 20 MHz Minimum UL BWP for data transferin CONNECTED mode 20 MHz Minimum DL BWP for data transfer in INACTIVEmode 5 MHZ Minimum UL BWP for data transfer in INACTIVE mode 5 MHZ 15The UE reads the system information from cell 3 and starts to campthere, because the UE is INACTIVE and INACTIVE BWP supported by the UEis advertised by the gNB.

FIG. 3 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.The apparatus may be a terminal such as a UE, an IoT device, a MTCdevice, or an element thereof. FIG. 4 shows a method according to anembodiment of the invention. The apparatus according to FIG. 3 mayperform the method of FIG. 4 but is not limited to this method. Themethod of FIG. 4 may be performed by the apparatus of FIG. 3 but is notlimited to being performed by this apparatus.

The apparatus comprises monitoring means 10, deciding means 20, andinstructing means 30. Each of the monitoring means 10, deciding means20, and instructing means 30 may be a monitor, decider, and instructor,respectively. Each of the monitoring means 10, deciding means 20, andinstructing means 30 may be a monitoring processor, deciding processor,and instructing processor, respectively.

The monitoring means 10 monitors if an information on a limitation of anetwork bandwidth part is received from a cell (S10).

If the information on the limitation is received (S10=“yes”), thedeciding means 20 bases a decision on the information on the limitationand a capability of a terminal to support a terminal bandwidth part(S20). The decision is about at least one of whether or not the terminalcamps on the cell and whether or not the terminal reselects the cell.

The instructing means 30 instructs the terminal on the at least one ofthe camping on the cell and the reselecting the cell based on thedecision (S30).

FIG. 5 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.The apparatus may be a base station such as a gNB, an eNB, or a NB, oran element thereof. FIG. 6 shows a method according to an embodiment ofthe invention. The apparatus according to FIG. 5 may perform the methodof FIG. 6 but is not limited to this method. The method of FIG. 6 may beperformed by the apparatus of FIG. 5 but is not limited to beingperformed by this apparatus.

The apparatus comprises instructing means 110. The instructing means 110may be an instructor. The instructing means 110 may be an instructingprocessor.

The instructing means 110 instructs a base station to provide aninformation on a limitation of a network bandwidth part provided by thebase station (S110).

FIG. 7 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.The apparatus comprises at least one processor 410, at least one memory420 including computer program code, and the at least one processor 410,with the at least one memory 420 and the computer program code, beingarranged to cause the apparatus to at least perform at least one of themethods according to FIGS. 4 and 6 .

Embodiments of the invention are described with respect to a UE. A UE isa particular kind of a terminal. Other terminals may belong toembodiments of the invention. E.g., terminals in which embodiments ofthe invention are implemented may be a IoT device, a MTC device, alaptop, a tablet, a smartphone, a mobile phone, etc.

Some embodiments of the invention may be employed in 3GPP devices.However, embodiments of the invention are not limited to 3GPP devices.E.g. embodiments of the invention may be employed in other wireless orwireline communication systems such as WiFi if they provide a functioncorresponding to bandwidth parts.

Some embodiments of the invention are embodied as a UE application.However, they may be differently embodied, e.g. hard coded on a chipwhich may be integrated into a UE.

One piece of information may be transmitted in one or plural messagesfrom one entity to another entity. Each of these messages may comprisefurther (different) pieces of information.

Names of network elements, protocols, and methods are based on currentstandards. In other versions or other technologies, the names of thesenetwork elements and/or protocols and/or methods may be different, aslong as they provide a corresponding functionality.

If not otherwise stated or otherwise made clear from the context, thestatement that two entities are different means that they performdifferent functions. It does not necessarily mean that they are based ondifferent hardware. That is, each of the entities described in thepresent description may be based on a different hardware, or some or allof the entities may be based on the same hardware. It does notnecessarily mean that they are based on different software. That is,each of the entities described in the present description may be basedon different software, or some or all of the entities may be based onthe same software. Each of the entities described in the presentdescription may be embodied in the cloud.

According to the above description, it should thus be apparent thatexample embodiments of the present invention provide, for example, aterminal such as a UE, an IoT device, a MTC device etc., or a componentthereof, an apparatus embodying the same, a method for controllingand/or operating the same, and computer program(s) controlling and/oroperating the same as well as mediums carrying such computer program(s)and forming computer program product(s). According to the abovedescription, it should thus be apparent that example embodiments of thepresent invention provide, for example, a base station such as a NodeB,an eNodeB, or a gNodeB, or a component thereof, an apparatus embodyingthe same, a method for controlling and/or operating the same, andcomputer program(s) controlling and/or operating the same as well asmediums carrying such computer program(s) and forming computer programproduct(s).

Implementations of any of the above described blocks, apparatuses,systems, techniques or methods include, as non-limiting examples,implementations as hardware, software, firmware, special purposecircuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or othercomputing devices, or some combination thereof.

It is to be understood that what is described above is what is presentlyconsidered the preferred embodiments of the present invention. However,it should be noted that the description of the preferred embodiments isgiven by way of example only and that various modifications may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: at least oneprocessor; and at least one memory including computer program code, theat least one processor, with the at least one memory and the computerprogram code, being configured to cause the apparatus to at least:receive, from a base station, information on a limitation of one or morebandwidth parts supported in a cell of the base station, wherein the oneor more bandwidth parts are one or more early data transmissionbandwidth parts; select an access parameter based on the information onthe limitation of the one or more bandwidth parts supported in the celland a limitation of one or more other bandwidth parts supported by theapparatus; instruct the apparatus to reselect the cell or to camp on thecell using the selected access parameter; and inhibit access to the cellbased on the limitation of the one or more bandwidth parts supported inthe cell and the limitation of the one or more other bandwidth partssupported by the apparatus.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, are further configured to cause the apparatus to:monitor whether the information on the limitation of the one or morebandwidth parts supported in the cell is received on a broadcast channelor in dedicated signaling to the apparatus.
 3. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, with the at least onememory and the computer program code, are further configured to causethe apparatus to: inhibit the apparatus from camping on the cell if thelimitation of the one or more bandwidth parts supported in the cell doesnot match the limitation of the one or more other bandwidth partssupported by the apparatus.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the at least one processor, with the at least one memory and thecomputer program code, are further configured to cause the apparatus to:inhibit access to the cell based on a priority for the one or more otherbandwidth parts supported by the apparatus.
 5. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, with the at least onememory and the computer program code, are further configured to causethe apparatus to: select one or more types of access based on theinformation on the limitation of the one or more bandwidth partssupported in the cell and the limitation of the one or more otherbandwidth parts supported by the apparatus; instruct the apparatus toaccess the cell according to the selected one or more types of access;and inhibit the apparatus to access the cell according to types ofaccess different than the selected one or more types of access.
 6. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, withthe at least one memory and the computer program code, are furtherconfigured to cause the apparatus to: inhibit access to the cell basedon a type of the apparatus.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the limitation of the one or more bandwidth parts supported inthe cell is related to at least one of: a bandwidth part usable by aterminal for data transmission in an INACTIVE mode; a bandwidth partusable by the terminal for data transmission in a CONNECTED mode; abandwidth part usable for active data transfer; a bandwidth part usablefor sending data encapsulated in control plane messages; a bandwidthpart usable for Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication transmission(URLLC); a bandwidth part reserved only for terminals of a certainClosed Subscriber Group (CSG); a bandwidth part usable for carrieraggregation purposes; a bandwidth part usable for dual connectivitypurposes; or a set of supported bandwidth parts in the cell.
 8. Anapparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memoryincluding computer program code, the at least one processor beingconfigured to, with the at least one memory and the computer programcode, cause the apparatus to: instruct a base station to provideinformation on a limitation of one or more bandwidth parts provided bythe base station, wherein the one or more bandwidth parts are one ormore early data transmission bandwidth parts; cause selection of anaccess parameter based on the information on the limitation of the oneor more bandwidth parts supported in the cell and a limitation of one ormore other bandwidth parts supported by a terminal; and cause theterminal to reselect the cell or to camp on the cell using the selectedaccess parameter.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the atleast one processor, with the at least one memory and the computerprogram code, are further configured to cause the apparatus to: providethe information on the limitation of the bandwidth part via broadcastingor dedicated signaling to the terminal.
 10. The apparatus according toclaim 8, wherein the at least one processor, with the at least onememory and the computer program code, are further configured to causethe apparatus to: instruct the base station to indicate a respectivepriority for each of one or more other bandwidth parts supported by theterminal.
 11. A method comprising: receiving, from a base station,information on a limitation of one or more bandwidth parts supported ina cell of the base station, wherein the one or more bandwidth partssupported in the cell of the base station are one or more early datatransmission bandwidth parts; selecting an access parameter based on theinformation on the limitation of the one or more bandwidth partssupported in the cell and a limitation of one or more other bandwidthparts supported by a terminal; instructing the terminal to reselect thecell or to camp on the cell using the selected access parameter; andinhibiting the terminal from accessing the cell based on the limitationof the one or more bandwidth parts supported in the cell and thelimitation of one or more other bandwidth parts supported by theterminal.
 12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:monitoring if the information on the limitation of the one or morebandwidth parts supported in the cell is received on a broadcast channelor received in dedicated signaling to the terminal.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 11, further comprising: inhibiting the terminal fromcamping on the cell if the limitation of the one or more bandwidth partssupported in the cell does not match the limitation of the one or morebandwidth parts supported by the terminal.
 14. The method according toclaim 11, further comprising: inhibiting the terminal from accessing thecell based on a priority for the one or more bandwidth parts supportedby the terminal.
 15. The method according to claim 11, furthercomprising: choosing one or more types of access based on theinformation on the limitation of the one or more bandwidth partssupported in the cell and the limitation of the one or more bandwidthparts supported by the terminal; instructing the terminal to access thecell according to the selected one or more types of access; andinhibiting the terminal from accessing the cell according to types ofaccess different from the selected one or more types of access.
 16. Themethod according to claim 11, further comprising: inhibiting theterminal to access to the cell based on a type of the terminal.
 17. Themethod according to claim 11, wherein the limitation of the one or morebandwidth parts supported in the cell is related to at least one of: abandwidth part usable by the terminal for data transmission in anINACTIVE mode; a bandwidth part usable by the terminal for datatransmission in a CONNECTED mode; a bandwidth part usable for activedata transfer; a bandwidth part usable for sending data encapsulated incontrol plane messages; a bandwidth part usable for Ultra-Reliable LowLatency Communication transmission (URLLC); a bandwidth part reservedonly for terminals of a certain Closed Subscriber Group (CSG); abandwidth part usable for carrier aggregation purposes; a bandwidth partusable for dual connectivity purposes; or a set of supported bandwidthparts in the cell.
 18. A method comprising: instructing a base stationto provide information on a limitation of one or more bandwidth partssupported in a cell of the base station, wherein the one or morebandwidth parts are one or more early data transmission bandwidth parts;causing selection of an access parameter based on the information on thelimitation of the one or more bandwidth parts supported in the cell anda limitation of one or more other bandwidth parts supported by aterminal; and causing the terminal to reselect the cell or to camp onthe cell using the selected access parameter.
 19. The method accordingto claim 18, further comprising: providing the information on thelimitation of the one or more bandwidth parts provided by the basestation via broadcasting or dedicated signaling to the terminal.
 20. Themethod according to claim 18, further comprising: instructing the basestation to indicate a respective priority for each of one or more otherbandwidth parts supported by the terminal.
 21. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereonthat, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause acomputing system to perform at least: receiving, from a base station,information on a limitation of one or more bandwidth parts supported ina cell of the base station, wherein the one or more bandwidth partssupported in the cell of the base station are one or more early datatransmission bandwidth parts; selecting an access parameter based on theinformation on the limitation of the one or more bandwidth partssupported in the cell and a limitation of one or more other bandwidthparts supported by a terminal; instructing the terminal to reselect thecell or to camp on the cell using the selected access parameter; andinhibiting the terminal from accessing the cell based on the limitationof the one or more bandwidth parts supported in the cell and thelimitation of one or more other bandwidth parts supported by theterminal.
 22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumcomprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at leastone processor, are configured to cause a computing system to perform atleast: instructing a base station to provide information on a limitationof one or more bandwidth parts supported in a cell of the base station,wherein the one or more bandwidth parts are one or more early datatransmission bandwidth parts; causing selection of an access parameterbased on the information on the limitation of the one or more bandwidthparts supported in the cell and a limitation of one or more otherbandwidth parts supported by a terminal; and causing the terminal toreselect the cell or to camp on the cell using the selected accessparameter.